


Winds of Fortune

by feralgosto



Series: What We Fight For [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Ending, Canon Divergence, Canon Universe, DeanCas - Freeform, Destiel - Freeform, Fix-It, Happy Ending, M/M, Post 15x19, SPN season 15, Supernatural Finale, alternate 15x20, because I refuse 15x20, finale fix it, no beta because we die like men, not much actually happens in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29786967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feralgosto/pseuds/feralgosto
Summary: Even with Castiel back, problems don't resolve themselves. And there are problems Dean never thought he'd face and a decision he'd have never imagined himself making.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: What We Fight For [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189463
Kudos: 28





	Winds of Fortune

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of Of Despair, Truth and Love, but it can also be read as standalone fic.  
> I originally wanted to write my own version of 15x20, but I never got around to it and this isn't what an episode would look like.  
> But I really needed the closure and it ended up being this.
> 
> Constructive criticism, or any other comments, ideas, opinions, thoughts, you name it, are appreciated!

“You coming?”

“Why don't you take Cas with you? He could finally get some decent clothes for himself...” suggested Sam, hoping that his brother would finally do something about all of this ridiculous avoidance.

“Fine, I'll go alone.” muttered Dean instead and headed for the garage, his footsteps heavy.

Sam sighed. It had been almost a month since they'd saved Castiel from the Empty. He'd stayed with them, finally learning properly “how to human”, as he put it. How to eat right, how to wash well, how to keep a healthy sleep schedule and exercise regularly. Everything Dean didn't know how to do either, as Cas didn't forget to mention one time, earning a silent treatment from Dean for the entirety of the dinner. _And that was the elephant in the room, wasn't it_ , thought Sam. Dean and Cas. Their relationship.

It was weird, he thought as he texted Dean to not forget to buy almond milk for Cas, who turned out to be lactose intolerant. Sam knew the two expressed their feelings for one another to some extent when Dean pulled Cas from the Empty. He didn't hear it, see it or ask about it, but he was sure of it. Their longing stares were different than before, mostly replaced with a thing that could only be described as panic. Had they truly said something, that was where they stopped. Or got stuck. They didn't become a couple.

Hell, if Sam was honest, the tension was worse than when they were “just friends.” They tended to avoid each other like plague, doing their best to not stay alone together or do things together. Cas was the better one, initially often seen trying to talk to Dean, but that too, faded quickly. Now he just seemed so careful around his brother as if he was walking on egg shells. 

“Where's Dean?” Cas spoke up, appearing suddenly and looking around cautiously, as if he hoped Dean wasn't around. Sam cleared his throat.

“Shopping. If you want something extra, text him.” 

Cas just shook his head and pulled up the pants he got from the Winchesters, which were too big on him. Sam remembered asking him if he missed his trenchcoat, and Cas saying that no, it was in the past. Past or not, his current clothes were just no good.

“Listen, Cas, why don't we take your car and go to Walmart or something? To get you some pants that fit.” he suggested. Cas fixed him with that pondering stare, as if evaluating whether pants were worth the trip, and then slowly nodded.

Once on the road, Sam looked at Cas sitting next to him.

“So, Cas, how are you adjusting?” he asked nonchalantly. Cas turned to him and shrugged.

“Fine.”

Sam sighed. The former angel still had to master human conversations. Or rather, normal human conversations, not the Winchester-styled ones. Sam had to admit they were not the best teachers for healthy human interactions. No wonder he and Dean weren't getting anywhere, they were both as socially apt as rocks.

“I mean, how are you really adjusting... it must be a lot. Chuck is gone, Jack is God, you're human and Dean...” he tried again. Cas just quietly studied him and it seemed that Sam's point has gotten across to him.

“We just..I need more time.” he said finally, sounding quite unsure and very unwilling to talk about it. Sam made turn to Walmart's parking lot.

“You do? Or Dean does?”

Cas just stared ou of the window, choosing silence instead. _So much for conversation_. Sam inwardly sighed and parked the car, turning off the engine looked at Cas again. Time to change the topic.

“Well, we're here for clothes. So choose anything you like, okay?”

Cas nodded in understanding.

Castiel obviously did not understand “anything you like”, realized Sam as he eyed the selection of plaid shirts and dark jeans that Cas gathered from the clearance racks.

“You know, you don't have to wear that just because we do.” he said, hoping to encourage Cas to choose something for himself. Cas sighed and put back the brown shirt he'd been inspecting.

“I'm not sure what I'd like.” he confessed, looking around as if overwhelmed by choices. Maybe his deer in the headlights look was about more than just clothes. Sam suddenly wished his brother would pull the stick out of his ass and address whatever it was that was going on and actually helped Cas with being human. But that wasn't his fight. He sighed and looked around and something caught his eye.

"What about that?"

* * *

Dean got out of the Impala and slammed the door, maybe too much, and he quietly apologized to Baby. She didn't deserve to be at the receiving end of his foul mood. He fished the shopping bags out of the trunk and headed inside.

“Sam?” he called.

It was quiet.

“Cas?”

Nothing. He walked to the kitchen and found note from Sam on the counter.

“Gone shopping with Cas. BRB.” 

He sighed and started to put away the groceries. With Eileen away to pack up her stuff to move out from her appartment, and Sam and Cas gone, the bunker was way too quiet. Quiet meant Dean was alone with his thoughts and he usually did not like that. His inner voice was sometimes worse than Sam's constatnt nabbing about whatever it was that was going on between him and Cas.

It wasn't like it was his fault that it was weird between them. Well, _not entirely his fault_ , he corrected himself as he plopped down in a comfy chair, cracked open a beer and turned on his laptop. He might have told him how he felt in a weak, emotional moment. And while he absolutely meant it, it didn't mean that he had to immediately smooch and marry the guy. Too much stuff was still hanging to have time to deal with feelings.

 _That must be it,_ he assured himself. He didn't have the time. He had to figure out his life first. And Cas wasn't helping the situation, either. Dean had no idea what Cas wanted, what Cas expected from him, and yet he felt like he was constatnly disappointing him. And Hell would freeze over before Dean would talk to him about it.

With Jack as God, everything became normal again. But this normal was a very new concept for Dean.

They talked about it with Sam one evening, watching Indiana Jones with Cas passed out and snoring quietly on the couch, his features soft and peaceful in the dim light of the televison.

“So what now?” was the question. And like too many times in his life, Dean didn't know the answer. He remembered looking at his brother, with his _life with Eileen, reviving Men of Letters, doing something useful_ , aligned right before him. A future. 

_But where did he fit in that future_ , he remembered thinking with an uneasy weight settling in his stomach. He looked over to the sleeping figure. _Where did Cas fit?_

"I have no idea."

That was about two weeks ago. He took a sip of his beer as he searched for local job openings. He did have the fake identity Charlie created for him, and with his GED and other skills, he could apply for a normal job. But before he could contemplate over an open position displayed on his screen and whether “normal” was what he was looking for, he heard the bunker door open and two sets of steps He slammed the laptop shut and stood up, heading in that direction. He couldn't avoid them forever.

He spotted Sam with a bag of something that was obviously greasy and delicious.

“Dinner?” he asked and Sam nodded, setting the bag on the table and pulling out burgers and fries from Dean's favourite diner. Dean looked around, noting the absence of one of the sources of his recent unrest.

“Where's Cas?”

“He went to change, I guess. We got him some new stuff.”

“Uh-uh.” he sat down and grabbed a burger, hoping that Sam wasn't about to grow ovaries and expand on the topic of Castiel.

“Listen, Dean, Cas and I talked and...” Sam started and Dean stopped mid-way into biting in the juicy double bacon cheeseburger. _So much for hoping._

“I think you should talk to him. Like, really talk.” his brother continued. “He's new to this whole human thing. He's a bit lost.” he admitted, running his hand through his ridiculous hair and sitting down with his Caesar.

“We're all a bit lost, Sam.” Dean said while chewing. Sam rolled his eyes and doused the salad with dressing.

“You know what I mean. He was an angel, and now he's human and he has to deal with new sensations, needs and...feelings.” he said, looking straight at Dean, who swalloved. But before any of them could continue, a new set of steps echoed through the halls. Dean shot a look to Sam, meaning of which was clearly understood between the brothers, and soon enough, Cas appeared.

Dean looked at him and almost choked on his burger. He had never really seen Cas in something so... _blue_. And his new sweater was a _really nice_ shade of blue. He quickly composed himself as Cas sat across the table from him and grabbed a burger himself. Sam noticed Dean staring and shot him an entertained look and Dean could almost feel himself blush. _He was 42 for God's sake_. Cas, however, didn't seem to notice as he was fully engrossed in his food. He always was.

Sam's eyes scanned the two of them and then he suddenly stood up, muttering something about Eileen, and very quickly left. Dean took a sip of his beer and turned to Cas, who was now looking at him.

“Do you like your burger Dean? I think you mentioned the diner a few times...”he muttered. Dean nodded. He did mention it, but Cas remembering it was unexpected. He should've known, Sam would never go for burger place.

“It's awesome. Burgers are always awesome.”

“Yes.”

Dean took a yet another swig out of his beer as if he could drown himself in it to escape the awkward conversation. Then he noticed the ketchup in the corner of Cas' lips.

“You have something...” he said, gesturing to his lips. He could've sworn he saw Cas blush as he wiped his mouth. And _damn_ , the sweater really pulled out the blue of his eyes. Dean cleared his throat.

“Nice sweater.” he commented. Cas flashed him a gentle smile.

“Thank you. It's very comfortable.”

“It suits you. The colour, I mean.” added Dean, not really knowing where he was heading. _Were conversations always this hard?_ But Cas didn't seem to mind. He looked content, happy even.

“Dean, are you free tomorrow?” he asked suddenly. Dean shrugged.

“I'm free every day.” he said, not even lying. That was his life now.

“Would you want to go on a trip? There is a place I'd like to visit.” continued Cas, his attention fully on Dean, who felt like a spotlight was shining on him. Cas's stares always felt like that. He was almost about to decline, because trip with Cas didn't sound like a good idea at the time, but something in him said _fuck it_.

“Uh, sure, why not. Baby needs to stretch her legs.” he found himself agreeing just as Sam retuned.

“Where are you going?” he asked, not even hiding that he listened to their conversation. Cas didn't even look at him, his eyes still fixed on Dean.

“There's a lake nearby that I would like to visit.”

* * *

Dean closed the door and leaned against it, sighing. Sam said he couldn't join him and Cas on the trip to the lake because he was helping Eileen move in. Dean called bullshit. He walked over to his bed and sat down. What did Cas want to do at the lake anyway? It was too cold to swim. He pulled out his headphones and turned on music while he made a mental list of things he'd need to pack. Some food, beer, maybe bug spray? He had no idea what lake Cas was talking about. Or what the surroundings were.

He could ask him, he debated, but that would mean going to Castiel's room and talking to the guy and after the awkward sweater moment, he was definitely not going to do that. _Absolutely not._

How he found himself knocking on Cas's door, he wouldn't know. But before he could change his mind and go away, the door opened and there was Cas, in his _very nice and comfortable blue sweater_. He was holding some sort of book which he quickly placed somewhere on his dresser. Because Cas had a dresser now apparently.

“Hello Dean.” he said in his usual gravely voice, which was, interestingly enough, getting progressively higher. Dean didn't want to think about how he noticed something like that.

“Uh, hey. Can I come in?”

“Yes.” said Cas quickly and stepped to the side. Dean walked in and realized he hadn't been in Cas's room since...since he came back, actually. He looked around and didn't even notice Cas shutting the door behind him and looking at him expectantly.

“Dean?”

Dean tore his eyes away from the weird arrangement of cacti on the shelf above Cas's bed, complete with colorful pots, and turned around, looking directly into Cas's blue eyes. He quickly lowered his gaze, only to end up staring at his lips. _Not helping,_ he thought. He took a step back and cleared his throat.

“I..uh..what lake? I mean, what lake you wanna visit?” he managed to ask. Cas looked at him a bit nervously.

“Just a lake. It's close by, we don't have to drive for long. There's also a barbeque area..” he started explaining and Dean found himself chuckling. Not because it was a _bit adorable_ , but...just because.

“Do you know the way?” he asked. Cas nodded.

“Alright. We'll leave at 9-ish, so be ready.”

“I will be.” promised Cas and gave him one of those soul searching stares, which, however, felt quite different now that he was human. Even though Cas couldn't see his soul anymore, it felt deeper than it did when he could.

“Right...” he said, still staring into Cas's eyes. He felt like he should _say something_. Or _do something_. Like Cas expected something. _Anything_. Unexpectedly though, it was Cas who broke the eye contact.

“I should go to sleep. I still get tired rather easily and I'd like to be well rested tomorrow.” he said and his voice sounded a bit dry. Dean nodded.

“Goodnight.” he headed for the door.

“Goodnight, Dean.”

He smiled to himself and stepped out, closing the door.

* * *

The weather next day seemed perfect for the trip, Dean mused as he waited outside by the Impala, food and beer already packed in the car. He was just about to go and look for Cas when he saw him step out of the bunker's door in a nice black jacket. At least it wasn't _blue_ , he thought and still found himself smiling at Cas, who carried a duffel bag and some sort of a case. But before Dean could ask what it was, Cas put it in the trunk and turned to him.

“Can I drive?”

Dean blinked, surprised. _What now?_

“Drive?” Dean asks dumbly. Cas wanted to drive...the Impala?

“Yes. I am a decent driver and I know the way, it'd be more convenient for me to drive us there.” Cas explained, but he did look a bit nervous about it. After all, it was the Impala. But without much thought, Dean found himself shrugging.

“Sure.” he said and handed Cas the keys, their hands touching maybe for a milisecond longer than needed. Cas grinned and got behind the wheel and Dean briefly wondered what he had gotten himself into.

Turned out, Cas was actually a very good driver and Dean found himself relaxing pretty soon. He turned on the music to fill in the silence, which was comfortable for once. Then he had an idea.

“Do you want to stop for breakfast?” he asked Cas, who looked at him briefly.

“That'd be nice.”

So they stopped at a small family-owned breakfast joint. Dean ordered eggs and Cas opted for pancakes. He did have quite the sweet tooth since he became wingless, Dean noted.The food was delicious and both men ended up contenly smiling at each other and mindlessly chatting about weather, about Sam and Eileen, about the food. It felt nice. It felt like something Dean could've gotten used to, he realized as he watched Cas chatting with the waitress, not really listening to what they were talking about. Until they suddenly weren't talking.

“Uh...” he heard Cas say and tried to remember what was the question.

“I mean, you two are together, right?” she asked. _Oh_. He felt himself panic a bit and noticed Cas was looking anywhere but at him. He had to act.

Without giving himself time to freak out, he grabbed Cas's hand and gave the waitress a small smile.

“It's still new to us, so we're figuring things out...” he said and suddenly wondered _what had been so hard_ about admitting that before. Cas looked at him wide-eyed, but squeezed his hand and smiled at the waitress.

“Well, I wish you all the best. Stop by again!” she said cheerfully and walked over to the next booth. Cas nervously turned to Dean, who was still holding his hand.

“Did you mean that?” he asked carefully, as if he was afraid of the answer. It was then when Dean realized what Sam was trying to tell him. He took a deep breath.

“Yes. I mean...listen, Cas. This...”he gestured in between the two of them “is really new to me. I don't know what...how to handle...deal with this kind of thing. Yet.” he said, hoping it made at least a shred of sense. Cas nodded and let go of his hand.

“I understand. We should get going.” he stood up and headed for the door and Dean watched his back, asking himself just what sense did his blabbering make to Cas. _Damn._

The pleasant silence they shared prior to breakfast was gone and the rest of a ride was tense. Music didn't help and just when Dean felt like hurling himself out of the car, Cas made a sharp turn to some forrest road.

“We're almost there.”

Dean wordlessly thanked _Jack, Who art in Heaven_ , and indeed, soon enough the trees on the sides cleared up and a nice looking lake came into the view, its waters sparkling in the sun. As soon as Cas parked Dean practically jumped out of the car. Cas ignored him and went to fetch their stuff from the trunk while Dean looked around.

It was a decently sized lake, complete with a pier, small pebbly beach and barbeque area. The nice weather had drawn out a family or couple here and there, but it was quiet and calm.

“Do you like it?” asked Cas, handing him the cooler with beer. Dean nodded. He did like it.

They headed down to the pier, their silence from the car still hanging heavily over them. Down by the lake Dean took a deep breath and looked around once more. He spotted a few people fishing.

“I wish I brought my fishing rod...” he said, maybe louder than he inteded. Cas looked at him and smiled for what must have been the first time since their conversation over breakfast. He opened the case he'd been carrying and revealed fishing gear.

“I was hoping you'd teach me...” he admitted. Dean incredulously looked at him and couldn't help but grin.

“Why the hell didn't you say so?”

Cas shrugged, his eyes squinting against the sparkly surface of the lake. And just like that, the tension melted in the warm morning sun. 

* * *

Over the course of morning, Dean was happily teaching Cas how to fish. And if his hand lingered on Cas's a little too long, or if he stood a little too close, _then what?_

When the time for lunch came, they grilled hotdogs that Dean brought, opened two beers and sat across each other on the picnic set near the pier, the fishing gear neatly put away. The sun was shining, the lake glistening in its lazy waves, the birds chirping. A lonely white cloud adored the sky. It was a nice day.

“Thank you, Cas.” said Dean suddenly, placing his hotdog on the paper plate. Cas looked at him, raising eyebrows questioningly.

“For bringing me here.”

“Of course. I imagined you'd like it. I've read the fish here are exceptionally big.” he said casually and Dean was taken a bit aback when the implications of that information clicked. 

“You've planned this for me. This trip, this lake, the fishing...” he said quietly, heat rising to his cheeks.

Cas nodded and Dean felt that weird clench in his heart that only Cas managed to provoke.

“Why didn't you just tell me from the start?” he asked, even if deep down, he knew the answer. Because he knew himself. 

Cas sighed and looked him in the eyes. Due to the clear sky and the sun they were an incredible shade of blue. Dean was slowly getting used to thinking about it every time their eyes met.

“I thought that if I told you directly that I wanted to take you fishing like this, you'd feel...cornered. Pushed.” he admitted carefully. Dean took a moment to process what exactly Castiel meant.

“You thought I'd...” he trailed off, the right words not coming to him immediately. A frisbee flew right by them, landing in the grass nearby, but neither of them paid it any attention. The world outside didn't really exist for them in that moment. 

”Cas, is this... a date?” he asked quietly, but somehow managing to keep eye contact. Castiel's blue eyes didn't waver though as he nodded.

“I hoped it would be, yes.”

Dean felt his heart hammering in his chest in a way it definitely shouldn't. Because he was _grown ass man and he had his fair share of experience and so why did he feel like teenager freaking out over his first crush_? He nervously licked his lips and in despite his internal panic he realized that Cas was still quietly watching him and probably waiting for him to say something. _Say something!_

“Cas, I... this is...nice.” _Wow, really?_ he scoffed at himself. _Way to go_. He saw something as a disappointment flicker in Cas's eyes. _Shit_.

“No, Cas, what I wanted to say is...”he took a deep breath, hoping his voice did sound as steady as he imagined it. “this is...” he was reaching for words that just weren't coming ”too much.”

 _Crap._ Not what he wanted to say. At all.

Cas stared at him, blinking. Dean hoped that this was the time that Cas wouldn't actually catch the meaning and he would be given the possibility to correct himself.

“My apologies. I won't overstep again.” he said and _wow_ , did he sound disappointed, Dean noticed. And before he got the chance to make it better (or maybe fuck it up even more), Cas stood up, brushing a few crumbles off his jacket. “I'm going to the car. I've...some pie there.” he mumbled and walked off.

“Shit...” Dean muttered quietly, desperately looking around as if there would be a physical way out of the mess he just made. But it didn't work that way and Dean was a _grown ass man with his fair share of experience, he knew that! You reap what you sow._

So he stood up and headed to the car.

Cas was there, leaning against the driver's door and staring in the distance. Dean approached him and hoped, he prayed that Cas wasn't crying because he wouldn't know at all how to deal with that. But when he came close , he had to remind himself that not only he, but also Cas was grown...angel-turned man. He didn't cry. He just looked...saddly resigned. And that was maybe even worse. Dean felt his throat tightening. 

“Cas...” he said so carefully that his voice almost failed him. Cas snapped his head towards him, his expression unchanged.

“Hello, Dean.”

Dean sighed and joined him, leaning against the car.

“I didn't mean it like that.” he started, staring at the ground.

“That's your problem, Dean. You never do. You never mean anything as you say it. It's frustrating.”

“This...whole thing is confusing.”

“You think I don't know that?” Cas suddenly snapped and Dean looked at him, surprised. Cas seemed angry. “You think it's not confusing for me?! I was an angel, Dean. I wasn't made to feel things! But I'm human now and I feel so much and I have to deal with that, and on top of that I have to deal with you being scared of the whatever the relationship between us is!” he errupted. Dean was stunned and Cas was frowning, staring right into him.

“I'm not scared.”

“What?”

“I'm not scared. I'm just not worth it.” Dean finally managed to assign a word to what he had been feeling ever since he admitted the extent of his bond with Castiel.

“You are worth everything.” said Cas, all the anger gone. Dean shook his head, staring off into the distance.

“I'm not. I'm just a man, old, broken, bitter. You are...were an angel. You gave up so much for me, and for Sam, and I...I can't ask you to give up what little you have left for me. I don't know what you're expecting but I can't give it to you...” he admitted, still not willing to look him in the eyes. Cas stayed quiet for a long time before speaking up.

“Dean, I don't expect anything from you.”

Dean forced himself to look at Cas, who was staring at him like he was the only thing in the world worth looking at.

“Then what do you want?”

Cas took a deep breath. “I've been in this world for a long time, longer than I remember. And yet, I only started living when I pulled you out of Hell...” he said fondly, still looking at Dean like he was the centre of his universe. “And now, human, I don't have much time left. Death will come to reap me, sooner or later, as it does all living things...” he continued, as if he was narrating a story. Dean watched him intently.

“So..” he started, but Cas stopped him by placing his hand on his shoulder.

“So the one thing I want is to share all that I've left with you, Dean.”

Dean looked at him, truly looked at him. The sun was shining, creating a mock halo around Castiel's dark hair. There were birds chirping in the trees nearby, child's laughter in the distance by the lake, two heartbeats tuning to the same rhytm, two pairs of lips meeting halfway.

* * *

Sam and Eileen were just finishing cooking dinner when Dean waltzed into the kitchen, grabbing a drink from the fridge. His step was light and his face relaxed as he greeted Eileen.

“You seem in a good mood.” said Sam and chuckled in the direction of Eileen, who smiled innocently and set the salad bowl on the table.

“Yeah, well, we had a good day.”

“Good day, huh?” Sam smild cheekily. Dean rolled his eyes. “Shut it Sammy.”

It was then when Cas joined them, his mood not unsimilar to Dean's. Eileen signed to him whether they enjoyed the trip and Cas nodded, smiling.

“It was very nice.”

“Very nice, huh?” smirked Sam and Dean shot him annoyed look. “I sad shut it Sam.”

“Dean let me drive the Impala.” explained Cas, confused, his eyes ticking from one Winchester to another. Dean just gave him a small smile and handed him a beer. 

Sam grinned over his salad.

They dinner was a pleasant affair. Cas signed with Eileen animatedly and Dean ate a full plate of salad before he went to the fridge to grab a sandwich. Then Sam and Eileen described their first phase of reviving the American chapter of Men of Letters and connecting it with the hunters' network. Dean sipped his beer, deep in thought.

"Never thought you'd be the one staying in the life." he said finally. Sam shrugged.

"It's different now. We can actually make a big difference for all the hunters out there." he said, Eileen nodding and grabbing his hand. "It's our job." she added. Dean nodded approvingly and Sam looked at him a bit confused as he realized something.

"Wait, you said the one. The one staying in the life. Does that mean you're out? Out of hunting?" he asked, but it wasn't accusing. It was genuine surprise, because for as long as he could remember, Dean was always the one intending to go out "guns blazing. "What changed?"

Dean placed his beer down on the table and licked his lips, his eyes darting over to Cas for a fraction of a moment. "I'm tired, Sam. And like you said, it's different now. You, other hunters, you guys don't need me anymore."

"So, what are you gonna do?" asked Sam, a slightly different question than the one he's asked him two weeks ago while watching The Last Crusade. with the same unknown answer. Dean shrugged.

"I have no idea. We'll figure it out as we go." he said finally, looking over at Cas, who nodded and added "We're leaving." 

"Where are you going?" asked Eileen, and Sam couldn't decided whether he was more surprised or relieved by the revelation that Cas was going with Dean.

"Wherever the road takes us."

"Well, that was a surprise." concluded Sam once Dean and Cas left and he was alone with Eileen, cleaning up after the meal. She nodded.

“Do you think something happened today? Between them?"

Sam was sure of that. Dean deciding to hang up hunting didn't surprise him as much, but doing so with Cas while also choosing to leave him was a combination he hadn't anticipated happening. Not so soon. “Probably not much for normal people, but a huge something for those two.”

Eileen smiled at him while wiping the table. "They'll be okay."

Sam nodded. 

"I know."

* * *

It was very early morning, the sun barely grazing the horizon and its first lazy rays bathing everything in soft yellow tones. Eileen shivered a bit, as the morning cold got past her sweatshirt. Sam let go of her and went over to his brother, who was packing duffel bag into Impala's trunk. That was all he deemed worth taking. 

“You sure about this?”

Dean straightened up and looked at him like he had asked himself the same question at least a dozen times.

“No. But am I ever sure about something?”

“Good point.” agreed Sam, stuffing his hands in his jacket's pockets.

“It's a good thing, you know. What you have.”

“I know.” Dean rumagged through the duffel, checking that all the important stuff was there.

“But don't force it, okay? Just let things happen for once.”

“I know.”

“You have this tendency to-”

“Jesus, Sam, I know!” Dean looked at him, annoyed.

“Good.” Sam smiled as Dean closed the trunk and few droplets of morning dew rolled off. Sam walked over to the other side of the car.

“Take care of him, okay?”

“I will.” Cas reassured him.

“And take care of yourself, too.”

Cas nodded, smiling. Eileen walked over to them, hugging them both. Then it was Sam's turn.

“Make it quick.” laughed Dean, but he did squeeze his huge baby brother, and so did Cas. This was the end of one journey, but start of another one. 

Then they got into the car, gave one last wave and Dean started the engine, his Baby rumbling with excitement he himself felt at the moment. A melody floated from the radio.

“ _....On a stormy sea of moving emotion  
Tossed about, I'm like a ship on the ocean  
I set a course for winds of fortune  
But I hear the voices say ….”_

“Kansas. Sweet.”

And they drove off.


End file.
